Essay on Discovering Sicke Cell Anemia

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Discovering Sicke Cell Anemia

The topic that I am learning about is Sickle Cell Anemia, a hereditary

disease which affects red blood cells. Throughout this research paper, I will

discuss what exactly it is, how it is caused, any known treatments or cures, and

many other facts that are important in this disease.

Sickle Cell Anemia is a health problem throughout the world. More than

250,000 babies are born worldwide with this inherited blood cell disorder

(http://www.medaccess.com/h_child/sickle/sca_01.htm). The disorder causes red

blood cells to extend into a sickle shape which clogs the arteries.Persistant

pain and life-threatening infections result from the illness. About one in 400

black newborns in the U.S. have sickle cell anemia. And one in 12 black

Americans carry the sickle cell trait (http://www.medaccess.com/h_

child/sickle/sca_01.htm). This leaves a good chance that the parent with the

trait can pass the defect onto offspring although their own health is not harmed.

The cause of sickle cell anemia is rather simple but it leaves a life

threatening affect. Anyone who carries the inherited trait for sickle cell

anemia, but doesn't have the disorder, is actually protected from a severe form

of malaria. This helped the children in countries where malaria was a problem,

to be able to survive against that disease. What happened to those children?

They grew up, had their own children and ended up passing the gene for sickle

cell anemia onto their offspring.

This disease is a hereditary blood disorder that affects the red blood cell.

Red blood cells contain a protein called hemoglobin which transports oxygen from

your lungs to every part of your body. Hemoglobin's oxygen carrying ability is

essential for living but if there is a structural defect on the pigmented

molecule, it can be fatal. When a normal red blood cell distributes its oxygen,

it has a disc shape. But when an affected red blood cell containing sickle cell

hemoglobin releases its oxygen, the image of the cell changes from a disc shape

to a sickled shape. In hemoglobin, there are four chains of amino acids. Two are

know as alpha chains, and two are called beta chains. In a normal hemoglobin,

the amino acid in the sixth position on the beta chain is known as glutamic acid

(refer to diagram 1.1 on page 6). During sickle cell anemia, the glutamic acid

is pushed out of its place and replaced with another amino acid called

vialine(refer to diagram 1.2 on page 6). This simple substitution has

devastating consequences.

Hemoglobin molecules that contain the beta chain defect stick to one

another instead of staying separate after releasing oxygen. This forms long,

rigid rods inside the red blood cells. The rods cause the normally smooth and

disc shaped blood cells to take on a sickle shape. When this happens, the blood

cells lose essential ability to deform and squeeze through small blood vessels

and arteries. The sickle cells becomes stiff and sticky which clog vessels,

depriving tissue from receiving a sufficient blood supply. This change makes the

hemoglobin less soluble in water. When a person is deprived of oxygen, the

hemoglobin molecules join together and form fibers. The fibers cause the blood

cells to change shape.

Sickle hemoglobin and normal hemoglobin carry the same amount of oxygen but

there are two major differences between the two kinds of cells. The normal

hemoglobin is found in only disc shaped red blood cells that are soft, which

permits them to easily flow through small blood vessels. Diseased red blood

cells are sickle shaped and are very hard which tend to get stuck in small blood

vessels and stop the flow of blood.

The other difference between the two cells is their longevity. Sickle cells

do not live as long as normal cells. Normal healthy cells can survive for about

120 days , while the more fragile sickle cells can survive for about 60 days or

even less. The body cannot make new red blood cells...

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